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Brazil Supreme Court's decision regarding former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Anna (Anya) Prusa

Anya Prusa of the Brazil Institute on Brazil's Supreme Court's decision regarding former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

"The restoration of former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s political rights means that the 2022 presidential election campaign has effectively begun in Brazil—and much earlier than expected.

President Jair Bolsonaro has benefited politically from a lack of strong, unified opposition on the left, and this could now change. Lula retains a substantial base of support and is an effective politician. Although he declined to state this morning whether or not he will run, he is already leveraging the attention to attack President Jair Bolsonaro’s record on the pandemic, vaccinations, unemployment, and a host of other issues. Recent polls show that, were the election tomorrow, Lula and Bolsonaro would both be in the runoff.

However, there are nineteen long months between now and the election, and the last few years have shown that Brazilian politics is full of unexpected twists and turns."

About the Author

Anna (Anya) Prusa

Anya Prusa

Former Slater Family Fellow (2020-21) & Senior Associate, Brazil Institute;
Senior Director, Albright Stonebridge Group
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Brazil Institute

The Brazil Institute—the only country-specific policy institution focused on Brazil in Washington—works to foster understanding of Brazil’s complex reality and to support more consequential relations between Brazilian and US institutions in all sectors. The Brazil Institute plays this role by producing independent research and programs that bridge the gap between scholarship and policy, and by serving as a crossroads for leading policymakers, scholars and private sector representatives who are committed to addressing Brazil’s challenges and opportunities.  Read more